


One Night in Argus

by ManlyQuail



Series: Bumblebee [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Cold Weather, Cute, Double Dating, F/F, Spoilers: Volume 6 (RWBY), Volume 6 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 01:37:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21007568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManlyQuail/pseuds/ManlyQuail
Summary: Blake and Yang are surprised by being treated to a double date by Saphron and Terra Cotta-Arc. While the girls are nervous at first that someone caught on that they were involved, they find themselves having one of the best nights they've had in quite some time.





	One Night in Argus

“I love the nights this time of year, don’t you, dear?” The sound of snow crunching beneath four sets of boots marching through the night streets of Argus was one of the few noises that could be heard in the evening hours. All around the group the twinkling white substance continue to flitter down around them, slowly filling in their footprints as they walked.

“Especially a night without any wind to tear through us. Tonight couldn’t be more perfect.” Leading the pack, the first pair was a married couple, Terra and Saphron Cotta-Arc. The wives had been together for quite some time, and even had a child together. Terra lead the way, her short brown hair buried beneath the hood of a blue puffy coat. Wrapped around her arm in her own tan coat, Saphron gazed up at the sky with her blonde haired head resting gently on her wife’s shoulder as they walked.

“How are the two of you holding up?” Pausing for a moment, Terra turned her head to the side, letting soft brown eyes gaze through a pair of red glasses to the other pair of women walking the wintry roads behind them.

Unlike Terra and Saphron, the two following behind them had let a gap form between them as they walked. The married couple gazed between the two, almost disappointed by the distance, though they kept their thoughts to themselves with a small look to one another. With a gaze back, the first girl, a faunus with a small pair of cats ears atop a head covered in waist length black locks of hair, smiled meekly back towards the pair.

“I’m doing alright I suppose, I’ve never been this far north before. This weather isn’t anything like Menagerie that’s for sure.” Blake Belladonna, warm and snug within two layers of coats at the insistence of the girl beside her, wore layers of black, then white, then brown on the outermost. The fluffy coat on the outer layer belonged to the fiery blonde beside her, whose lengthy hair had made wearing the bulky coat difficult to begin with.

“It could be worse though. A slight chill is a vacation compared to the last few weeks we've had.” Yang Xiao Long, whose wardrobe of a thin orange top, black pants, matching brown boots, as well as a lengthy brown coat with coattails down either of her legs, was standing close to Blake. Even with the thinner coat she had on, the girl’s skin showed a layer of goosebumps without the heavier coat she’d essentially forced onto her companion. Every few moments she would awkwardly rub at the elbow of her right arm - an arm that had been replaced by a mechanical prosthetic after losing the real thing in battle.

“Well, that slight chill will catch up to you in no time, especially with that arm.” Terra nodded at Yang, who glanced at her own palm as it flexed and whirred. “Atlas tech or not having your skin exposed to icy metal for too long isn’t good, especially without your coat.”

Yang blushed a little and looked away. She wasn’t really worried about her arm so much as keeping Blake warm, and she could tell the comment was meant to tease her about it more than anything. Terra’s eyes flickered between the two of them with a grin before Saphron started to tug at her to get the group moving again.

“Speaking of which, we’re almost there anyways. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can  _ all _ be out of the cold.” Saphron managed a step out of Terra, who turned back to face forward, and the group went back to marching down the street.

“Where are we going anyways? You were pretty eager for us to get out the door before anyone else could tag along.” Yang frowned a little as they walked. The two of them had asked for Yang and Blake to follow them into town for some sort of errand, leaving the rest of Team RWBY, as well as Oscar, Ren, Nora, Maria, and Jaune, back at the Cotta-Arc residence. It seemed like a strange request, as Yang would’ve imagined Saphron wanting to spend as much time with her younger brother as possible.

“It’s a secret, you’ll know when we get there.” Saphron was absolutely giddy at this point, and Yang could even see hints of a grin on Terra’s face as they walked.

“Do we really need to keep it a secret still? They’ll figure it out when we get there you know, and I hardly think they’re in the mood for surprises.” Terra gave a weak smile to her wife, who was entirely convinced that this surprise would brighten up the two girl’s night. Glancing ahead though, she shrugged and shook her head. “I guess it’s too late though, we’re already here.”

The group stood at the base of a number of steps that led up to a brightly lit building with glass windows all around it. Climbing the steps, the smell of food and the lights of a diner took over their senses. It was an incredible aroma, and subconsciously each of them began to salivate in anticipation. Even with the delicious smells coming their way though, Yang paused and tilted her head with an awkward smile.

“So this is the surprise? Going out to dinner?” Not wanting to sound ungrateful, Yang couldn’t understand all the secrecy over something as simple as going out to eat. Nor did she understand why Terra and Saphron had been so insistent they leave the rest of their group behind. The pair turned to face them, hand in hand, and Yang felt something click into place.

“Well, more than that, we were hoping to surprise you with a double date! Terra doesn’t get a night off very often, and we’ve always wanted to double date, but most of our friends have either left to Mistral or Atlas, or are still single. It was a blessing to see the two of you, though I hope we’re not imposing on your evening.” Saphron was grinning ear to ear as she looked between Blake and Yang, both of whom seemed to have freeze up at her explanation of their plans for the evening.

“Well we uhh…” The girls were unsure of how to respond, Blake muttering out half a sentence as Yang awkwardly began to comb through her own hair with her fingers. The pair blushed hard, an impressive feat given the red of their cheeks in the cold, and both nervously began to avoid any and all eye contact.

“Unless I was wrong in my assumption. The two of you just seemed… well, you know.” Saphron frowned slightly and looked towards Terra who simply shrugged.

“I mean we…” Blake continued to stand and squirm a little uncomfortably. As far as anyone else knew Yang and herself were still just friends, their relationship had been a secret. It was strange to be put on the spot like this, and she had no idea what to say. 

Fortunately for Blake, Yang seemed to have snapped from their awkward trance, and took a step closer to her. She felt the soft contact of a hand brush against the chilly skin of her own. Looking down, she could see Yang’s hand opened beside her own, and she smiled softly to herself as she let their fingers become intertwined. As her eyes traced up the figure of the girl, they paused on her face where confident eyes and an awkward smile gazed at the couple that had confronted them.

“I told you.” Saphron stuck her tongue out at Terra who just rolled her eyes.

“It’s not that I didn’t believe you, I just assumed they were trying to keep it a secret was all.” Terra glanced back to Yang, who nodded a little slowly.

“We haven’t exactly told… well anybody really. We only recently admitted our feelings, and with how crazy things have been there hasn’t been the opportunity to tell anyone else. Were we really that obvious?” Yang was a little worried that the others had caught on long ago and just hadn’t said anything. If Terra and Saphron could figure it out in just a few days time, then she had no doubt that at least one person in their group had figured it out as well.

“I wouldn’t say obvious, we just know what to look for is all.” Saphron gave a wide smile as her eyes skimmed down to the girls connected hands, before turning back to Terra and giving her a light peck on the cheek. “We were in your position once, so there was a great deal of deja vu.”

Blake and Yang’s cheeks heated up once again as they pursed their lips, shy and a little embarrassed from the teasing. Thankfully, the conversation was suddenly put on hold as a rush of wind blew through the city, the chill cutting through their coats, and urging the couples to get inside the warm structure they’d stopped in front of.

Stepping inside, they glanced around the diner that was at half capacity that particular evening. Booths and tables were filled with chatter and people eating, and overall it just looked so peaceful and normal, something that had been scarce for Blake and Yang for the longest time. As the group approached the podium at the front, a friendly woman with short brown hair greeted them all with a bubbly smile.

“Hello, welcome to the Seaside Diner! Four of you tonight?” She beamed in a polite fashion as Terra nodded, and the woman led the four of them to a booth near the window. “A nice pretty booth with a great view of the night sky and the city streets.”

Blake and Yang scooted into one side of the booth, while Terra and Saphron sat across from them in the other. As the waitress set out menus across from each of them, she pulled out a small notepad and clicked a pen.

“I’m Violetta, I’ll be starting your drink orders and your server will be with you shortly.”

“Water for the two of us, at least for now.” Terra smiled up and Saphron nodded in agreement.

“Water is fine for me as well.” Yang then looked to Blake, whose eyes were skimming part of the menu.

“I’ll have a green tea please.” Blake set the menu back down as the woman nodded, scribbling the orders, before clicking her pen and stepping away. “This is such a cozy little diner, I can’t remember the last time we spent time off in a big city.” Her eyes then looked past Yang, glancing out the window into the darkened city streets. The lighting of lamps outside caused the snow to sparkle under the night sky, and she smiled softly before turning back to the table.

“Well you were originally meant to arrive with Jaune and his friends right? I heard there were problems with the train and some Grimm that delayed you, it all sounded so frightening!” Saphron’s eyes looked up from her menu as she looked across to the two of them with a bit of concern.

“It wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle, but it’s easier to deal with Grimm when there’s not a few dozen extra people you have to try and protect. Took a little longer to get here, but we’re no worse for the wear all things considered.” Yang feigned a smile. The detour they’d gone on had ended up worse than they could have imagined, and it wasn’t even the Grimm that were completely at fault.

“Jaune was fairly confident in your abilities, and traveling with a trained Huntsman like Qrow to keep you all safe was definitely a good sign. Still, he paced so much, staring at his scroll day in and day out. He was so worried.” Saphron gave a soft smiled before turning her eyes back to the menu.

There was then a brief lull in the conversation, giving everyone a chance to look over their options for a meal. Saphron and Terra were fairly familiar with the diner, but the combinations of Atlas and Mistral dishes all sounded so foreign to Blake and Yang.

As they stared down at the menus, flipping from page to page, an individual in a red apron stepped up to the table, and the clinking of glasses being set on the table signaled the arrival of their drinks. Yang reached for her drink to take a sip, before looking up to their new waiter with the sound of a pen clicking showing he was ready to take their orders.

Almost immediately Yang started to choke on her water. Saphron and Terra looked up in concern as Blake did her best to pat on the blonde’s back, trying to help her breath.

“Y- you!” Yang managed a single word out as she caught her breath, and the four of them looked up at their water. An elderly man with squinted eyes, wrinkles on his wrinkles, bushy gray eyebrows and matching gray hair only on the back of his head, gave her a thumbs up in response.

“Friend of yours?” Terra looked between the two slightly confused, noting that Blake shared the shocked expression.

“He used to own some shops back in Vale before, well… Anyways, good to see you!” Yang was now grinning wide at the familiar face, thankful to know that he had survived and made his way safely from Vale. 

“I don’t suppose you have our usual orders back in that kitchen somewhere?” Blake looked up shifting nervously as she tried not to drool, thinking back to the cuisine that the Shopkeep had served them from Simple Wok.

With a nod and a grin, he mumbled words impossible to hear to himself as the pen quickly scrawled across the pad of paper. He turned to Terra and Saphron, who were still slightly taken aback by the entire situation. They stared at the hungry expressions that Yang and Blake each held, before looking to one another and shrugging.

“We’ll have the same I guess, they’ve certainly sold us on your cooking just from the looks on their faces.” Saphron giggled a little as the Shopkeep nodded and made his way back into the kitchens.

Yang then started to snicker to herself.

“Well, whichever of you gets her order is in for a bit of a surprise.” Blake blushed a little as Yang remembered Blake’s usual order. It was something only a cat faunus like her would ever dream of ordering. 

“You’ve had me go from intrigued, to excited, to worried, all in a matter of minutes. Maybe I’ll prepare a backup order just in case.” Terra frowned a little and glanced back down at the menu, before Saphron put a hand on hers.

“Oh don’t be silly, I’m sure it will be fine. Besides, this keeps date night interesting doesn’t it?” Saphron giggled as she helped Terra begrudgingly close the menu.

“I suppose interesting could be a decent way to describe our first double date. Ah, if you two would consider this a date.” Terra glanced across at Blake and Yang, who immediately went back to some awkward squirming.

“Well at this point technically…” Blake looked to Yang, who pursed her lips and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

“Date night it is.” Yang nodded, Blake agreed, and the two took some deep breaths for a moment before Yang looked back across at Saphron and Terra. “Don’t tell anyone though, okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about us letting the cat out of the… is that racist?” Saphron tilted her head and glanced to Blake, who was still staring across at Yang with flushed cheeks.

“I think it’s fine dear, it’s just a phrase. I don’t think she seems to mind either.” Terra glanced across at Blake with a smirk across her face.

“Huh, what?” Blake snapped to, turning across to Saphron and Terra with a shrug. “What were we talking about?”

“Whether or not letting…” Saphron went to repeat herself when Terra jabbed her in the side with her shoulder. “Letting uhhh… not letting anyone else in on the secret! Keeping this date between us.” Terra shook her head, placing her face in her palm as words continued to ungracefully pour from Saphron’s mouth.

“It’s okay, let’s just not worry about it.” Yang did her best not to laugh about the spectacle unfolding, while also providing an out for Saphron to stop making a fool of herself. Blake just laughed a little awkwardly, unsure of what was going on, when in a flash bowls were sliding across the table.

The Shopkeep had returned and slid three massive bowls of noodles in front of Yang, Saphron, and Terra, while a massive bowl consisting entirely of whole fish wobbled around in front of Blake. With a bow and a grin, the Shopkeep quickly departed to other tables, and they each stared at the meals before them.

Blake was salivating instantly with sparkles in her eyes, and Yang too looked fairly eager. Saphron and Terra simply gazed at what otherwise looked like a bowl of regular noodles.

“This is the exciting meal from Vale?” Tilting her head, looking unimpressed, Terra let out a heavy sigh before picking up a pair of provided chopsticks and lifting up a small number of noodles to taste test.

Saphron, as well as Blake and Yang, watched in anticipation as Terra went to take a bite. With some gentle chewing, Terra gave a bit of a nod to herself before realizing everyone was staring at her.

“Well I mean they taste well enough. I just the presentation could be better, that's all.” Saphron rolled her eyes and dug in, Blake and Yang following suit.

The four ate in silence as the mountains of noodles and fish gradually shrank in size, and soon enough there was hardly any food left between the four of them. Saphron Blake and Yang were all leaning back lazily in their seats, while Terra gently dabbed at her lips with a napkin before gazing with a bemused expression at her wife.

“Did you enjoy your noodles honey?” Terra looked down at Saphron, who nodded slowly and had to keep her mouth closed to suppress a burp.

“I don’t think I’ll be moving any time soon.” Saphron gave a pitiful look up to Terra, who chuckled and reached an arm around Saphron’s shoulders to hold her closer in their seat.

“This takes me way back. We survived off of these noodles for nearly the entire Vytal Festival. Reminds me of simpler times.” Unable to hold herself back as Saphron had, Yang found herself suddenly belching, and everyone let out a bit of a laugh aside from Terra.

“Oh, speaking of way back, how did you two of you meet!” Saphron was suddenly upright and full of energy, the food coma falling to the side in a flash as she jolted from Terra's embrace.

“Dear let them at least digest their food a little.” Terra tried to reel in her wife, but her gaze on Blake and Yang showed that she too held a bit of interest in the two of them.

“Oh, well we actually met at Beacon as first years. Our first meeting was actually kind of a funny story.” Blake turned to Yang, remembering how irritated she’d been at first with the rather noisy blonde and her clumsy mess of a sister interrupting her while she was reading.

“My sister was having a bit of a crisis about making friends, and she recognized Blake, so I thought I could try and bridge the gap. Blake clearly wanted nothing to do with me or my sister, but the two of them hit it off talking about books.” Yang remembered thinking Blake was actually rather boring at first, having little to no interest in books aside from reading to Ruby when they were kids.

“So you two didn’t exactly hit it off at first? That’s surprising given how close you all seem to be.” Terra tilted her head curiously, but was stopped by a hand in her face.

“Shhhh she’s not done!” Saphron had reached over and was flailing her hand weakly around Terra’s face to try and keep her from interrupting.

“Well, Weiss eventually broke up our little pow-wow and insisted we go to bed. I guess we were being kind of loud at the time, it was like midnight after all. We met again during initiation and at that point we ended up partners for the rest of our time at Beacon. Combat partners I mean! Not like, you know.” Yang did her best to try and correct herself and Blake gave a bashful grin as she looked at the table.

“We were told by Ozpin that whoever we saw first we’d have to be partners with. It was hard not to find Yang, she was in a screaming match with an Ursa in the middle of the forest!” Blake looked to Yang who thought back, brushing through her hair with a nervous grin.

“Well I mean, they started it. I was just minding my own business looking for Ruby.” Yang paused for a moment more as the memory rolled through her brain, and she gave a cold squint to Blake. “Speaking of which, you stole my kill! That Ursa was mine and you just snuck up on it all ninja like!”

The two of them shared a laugh while Terra and Saphron just stared on in bewilderment.

“A screaming match with an Ursa?”

“Like the giant bear looking Grimm?”

“The ones that could easily bust through a building without a second thought?”

Saphron and Terra gazed in combination admiration and disbelief.

“Uhh yeah. I mean I guess they’re pretty big, but they’re nothing too crazy. Even Jaune has taken on his fair share single handedly.” Yang chuckled, realizing that with her experience Grimm rarely posed a challenge anymore. To the average person though, even a lone Beowulf could spell death.

“Jaune? Like Jaune Arc back at the house Jaune?” Terra and Saphron both gazed at one another before bursting out into laughter.

“As hard as it is to believe he’s gotten to be a fair warrior. He had a good teacher though…” Blake trailed off and Yang’s expression went soft as well. The two sat in silence as Terra and Saphron wiped away tears from the laughter sensing the sudden mood shift.

“He messaged me a lot about being team leader. His nerves were fried those first few weeks, but between your sister and Pyrrha, he seemed to grow a lot more confident whenever he got in contact. I’m sorry for her loss, Jaune was devastated and so was the community here…” Saphron gave a bit of a soft smile, extending her hand across the table in a gesture of comfort. Instead, Blake and Yang looked up a bit surprised.

“The community?” Blake’s eyebrow went up before she stared at Yang who looked equally confused.

“Oh, you didn’t know? Pyrrha grew up here, her family actually lives in Argus. She went to Signal but then chose to go to Beacon instead of Haven.” Terra watched as Yang and Blake processed this information. “There’s actually a statue for her in town. A dedication memorial for her sacrifice during the fall the fall.”

Silence came over the group as Terra and Saphron watched Blake and Yang sift through their own memories. Mentioning that night brought up a great deal for the both of them, and it took a few minutes for them to come back to the present.

“I’m glad to hear that. Pyrrha was something else, it’s good to hear that she’s remembered so well back home as well.” Yang gave a bit of a somber smile before Terra and Saphron looked awkwardly between one another.

“So you said there was some deja vu when you saw us together?” Blake spoke up, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. Saphron and Terra gave a bit of a nod as Yang looked up, wiping the expression away in her sleeve. “What kind of… deja vu?”

“Well, hair colors aside, just the little ways you give one another the briefest of looks. Smiling an extra amount when you’re close, seeming happier just being near one another, even more so than your group of friends. The little things ya know?” Saphron grinned, giving a soft glance to Terra who returned the look.

“So was it difficult at first? Keeping it as just little things for a while?” Yang shifted a little nervously in her seat. Combat was above all her specialty, so emotional stuff and relationships were far from being in her comfort zone.

“Well, not letting me meet her six sisters, her brother, or her parents until a year in definitely didn’t help things.” Terra gave Saphron a bit of a dirty look, and she raised her hands defensively in response.

“I did it for your own safety! Even if we’d only been together a week, my family would’ve basically taken you in as one of us immediately. There’d have been a ring on that finger way sooner than either of us were prepared for.” Saphron giggled, as did Yang and Blake. Given the hospitality and kindness Jaune had always shown, as well as the personality of his sister, that definitely sounded like the type of thing the Arcs would do.

“Still, you could’ve just introduced me as a friend at first.” Terra pouted and Saphron just shook her head.

“I wouldn’t lie to them like that, nor would I have hid our relationship honey. I’m more than happy to show you off to the world! Whenever you’re not at work anyways.” Saphron stuck her tongue out and Terra went to grab it, before it was sucked back into her mouth in retreat.

“So it never had anything to do with you both being… girls?” Blake blushed a little as she glanced across to Yang, who bit her lip. Saphron stared and then bust out laughing once again.

“Oh no, nothing like that. My parents never cared about anything like that, as long as we were happy. They figured that with seven girls the odds were decent that at least one of us would take an interest in our fellow ladies. The real gamble was on Jaune, but I hear he tore up the dance floor with Pyrrha, he could not have been happier.” Saphron grinned, giving an eyebrow waggle in Terra's direction at the mention of _fellow ladies_, before thinking back to the excited messages that had been passed back and forth when Jaune had started telling her about the dance.

“Well, you’d be surprised. Did he mention that he spent that night dancing in a dress?” Saphron snapped out of her thoughts and gasped.

“No!”

“Yup, I have pictures too.” Yang’s eyebrows bounced once as she pulled out her scroll and started to flip through the gallery.

“Yang!” Blake was glancing over at the scroll, and could see a great number of photos taken of  _ her _ at the dance that she hadn’t recalled being taken. Yang tried to scroll faster as Blake’s jaw fell open at the sheer number of photos. She gave the other girl a playful shove.

“What can I say, in our line of duty the opportunities to wear a dress don’t come up very often. I had to get  _ plenty _ of photos.” Yang finally stopped scrolling as photos of JNPR began to appear with each swipe. Jaune had changed halfway through the dance, and when she found the start of the dress photos, she slid the scroll across to Saphron.

Terra scooted close, and the pair held the scroll together as Saphron flicked through the images, her cheeks instantly puffing and her face clenching hard as she did her best to hold in the laughter. Each of them was snickering madly, tears beginning to slip out with each swipe.

“He really made that dress work, and Pyrrha was absolutely gorgeous.” Saphron choked out the words between giggles, looking at images of Team JNPR all dancing as a group together. “I would’ve never pictured Ren and Nora for dancers either. What a team.”

Once the photos of the dance petered out, Saphron set the scroll back down and slid it back over to Yang.

“It’s good to know you’ve all been there for my little brother, thank you for that.” Saphron bowed her head a little to the pair, and the girls grinned and nodded their heads politely in return.

“He’s done his fair share of work looking out for us as well, especially after the fall. He’s really taken on the role of a leader.” Yang looked out the window to the sky, frowning a little as she let out a heavy sigh. Their circumstances were far from the pleasant mood they found themselves in, but at least they were all together again. Blake put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned back with a smile.

Before either could speak, a loud buzzing followed by a ringing came from across the booth. Terra’s eyes went wide and she fumbled around through her pockets to slide open her scroll.

“Honey no…” Saphron pouted and Terra gave a weak smile.

“Well it was a good night while it lasted.” Saphron scooted from the booth to let Terra out, as she opened up the scroll and began to talk. The group looked on as her expression wore down gradually. It was apparent that this would be the end of their date night.

“I hope you two had a good time at least.” Saphron gave a glance and a bit of a wink to Yang and Blake. “If you wanted to stay behind a bit to enjoy date night as a couple a little bit longer while we head back, you’re more than welcome. I’ll cover for you.” Laying down enough lien to cover the meals and catching up to Terra before either of them had a chance to protest, Saphron followed a frustrated Terra out of the building, leaving the two alone.

“Time as a couple…” Yang nodded her head a few times, staring into the air.

“Yup…” Blake glanced around the diner, and even with nobody paying them any attention, she suddenly felt vulnerable, almost exposed. At this point though, even if someone had looked in their direction, Blake didn't think she'd mind if people knew they were together. Turning back to Yang with this itching feeling on the back of her neck, her hairs standing on end, she turned Yang's face towards hers, leaned forward, and gave the blonde a soft kiss on the lips.

It was their first kiss in public, and even Yang seemed surprised. Her eyes opened wide on contact, flicking across the room as if they were doing something illegal or taboo, but nobody said a word or paid them any mind. Everything around them went around like normal, and her eyes eventually moved back to the face an inch from her own. Closing her eyes tight, she returned the passion of the kiss, holding it for as long as she could.

They pulled apart, blushing and trying not to giggle like school girls as they looked around the diner once more. Their big secret, exposed to any random stranger who gave them so much as a glance, and the world kept spinning. The moment felt refreshing, like a massive step had been taken between them, and Blake glanced towards the entrance.

“Shall we?” Scooting from the booth, Yang stood up beside her, their hands immediately finding each other. Fingers interlocked, Yang led the couple out the door and into the snowy night. They’d left far enough apart that Saphron and Terra were nowhere to be seen, but the two were fairly certain they could still manage to find their way back.

Neither was sure what to say as they slowly started to walk the snowy path back to the Cotta-Arc residence. They were enjoying the night far too much to worry about talks of relics, Grimm, or even how tomorrow may go. Instead, they found themselves enjoying the moment, and nothing more.

“So is this our  _ official _ first date then?” Blake blushed, smiling as she walked beside Yang. Her eyes looked up to the other girl who seemed to think over the question before chuckling.

“Technically I think it is. I think we might’ve skipped a few steps in this relationship, but we got there eventually. Ah… although…” Yang stopped the pair in her steps, a sudden realization washing over her face 

“What is-” Before Blake could ask what was going through Yang’s mind, the taller girl suddenly turned towards her, reaching out to her other arm to make sure the pair were facing one another. She took each of Blake’s hands in her own, and Blake blinked in surprise as she expression on Yang’s face turned serious. In concern, she went to take a step back, but the hold on her hands prevented her from moving very far.

“Blake Belladonna…” Blake’s heart was pounding as Yang spoke her name. There was a sudden intensity to her, and Blake’s mind was racing trying to figure out what was happening. “Will you go out with me?”

A light breeze blew between the pair. They stood, frozen on the spot, as Yang awaited and answer, and Blake simply stood there dumbfounded.

“Will… what?” The closest she could equate her emotional state at that moment was one of shock. The contrast between the intensity of Yang’s voice and the question she asked was impossible for Blake's mind to process as she simply stared at the other girl. Yang’s serious expression broke, and she cracked a bit of a smile and awkwardly rubbed the back of her head.

“Well I mean, you mentioning this is our first date and all, it made me realize I don’t think I ever properly asked you out.” As Blake managed to compose herself somewhat, the shocked expression turned to one of happiness, and then laughter as she pursed her lips and started to chuckle. “Hey, I’m being serious here!”

“No no, I know, it’s just…” Blake took a breath to calm herself before smiling softly up at Yang. “After everything we’ve been through, all the fighting and the drama, the life or death moments, it’s surprising to hear something so normal when you’re wearing such a serious expression.”

“Well I mean this is a serious moment!” Yang pouted slightly, crossing her arms as Blake nodded a few times before tugging on Yang's arms and taking her hands back into her own.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Blake let her thumbs gently rub the surface of Yang’s hands, feeling the contrasting texture of skin versus metal, but in her mind both held the same meaning in her heart. She gazed up at Yang, who was doing her best to wear the same serious expression she’d had moments ago.

“Now then, Blake Belladonna. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?” Yang stared down at Blake, their expressions soft as they gazed longingly into the others eyes, and Blake gave her a slow nod.

“Yang Xiao-Long, it would be my pleasure.” Leaning forward, the two sealed the moment with another kiss, and even the chill of the winter wonderland around them seemed to fade away as they embraced one another.

As they pulled apart, each with ear to ear smiles, they looked around them at the snow as it sparkled under the street lights. Yang wrapped an arm around Blake, holding her close, and started to lead the pair back down the lit streets of Argus. 

Eventually, they found themselves standing outside the Cotta-Arc home. The lights inside were still on, and even from the outside they could hear Nora in a shouting match with Ruby over the proper shape that pancakes should be in. They chuckled, hand in hand at the bottom of the steps, but hesitated to move forward. Looking from the door, to one another, and down to their hands, each girl furrowed her brow unsure of quite what to do next.

“Should we say something or…?” Blake’s eyes anxiously looked back towards the door, but she felt the grip on her hand squeeze tight, and she turned to see Yang grinning down at her.

“We don’t have to say anything, but my hand isn’t leaving yours for the rest of the night. If they ask, so be it.” The confidence Yang was exuding spread through her fingers and into Blake, who squeezed back tightly and nodded. The nerves that had built up at the base of the steps faded away, and the pair marched up the swept steps and knocked gently on the door.

“I’ll get it!”

The pair could hear Saphron’s voice from the other side, and moments later a silhouette appeared through the frosted glass of the double doors. The doorknob jiggled before Saphron poked her head out to see who it was. As they gave a polite wave and a hello, they watched as Saphron’s eyes met theirs, and then immediately shot to their still interlocked hands. She raised an eyebrow, the pair nodding with reddened cheeks, and she smiled back before swinging open the door.

“Guess who’s back!” As the two crossed the threshold into the home, the shouting match involved pancakes paused for only a second. As everyone watched them walk in, hand in hand, the pair held their breath wondering if they were about to be berated with questions.

“YANG!” In a flurry of rose petals, Yang’s younger sister Ruby Rose was suddenly in front of the two of them. Her face was stern as she looked from Yang, to Blake, and then back to Yang, locks of black hair flipping side to side with the speed of her head turns. “Tell Nora that the best pancakes are shaped like adorable little animals instead of boring old circles!”

The pair managed to let out the breathe they were holding, and looked at one another with amused expressions.

“No, when you shape them like that they get smaller! You’d have to make a dozen stupid little bunnies just to get the full might of a single golden  _ circular _ pancake! That’s not even mentioning the perfect syrup distribution of pouring the bottle out in the center! YOU CAN’T DO THAT WITH ANIMAL SHAPES RUBY!” Nora shouted from the living room, where Ren simply sat with his head in his palms. Oscar, Qrow, Jaune, Maria, and Weiss seemed equally bewildered by the heated debate, and as Blake and Yang found themselves seats on the couch to listen, they were surprised that not a single person commented about their interlocked hands.

After about an hour of debate, both Jaune and Ren being subjected to numerous example pancakes cooked by the other girls, and a noise complaint from one of the neighbors, everyone began to settle down and turn in one by one for the night.

As Yang and Blake ascended the stairs, they looked back down into the living room where Saphron sat with a sleeping Adrian in her arms. She’d insisted they head to bed, that she’d be up late waiting for Terra to return home, and she caught a glance of them looking down at her.

_ Thank you. _

Yang mouthed the words, wanting to be quiet at the late hour, and Saphron smiled with a nod up before looking back down to Adrian. With that, Yang led Blake up the rest of the stairs to the guest room Blake had been sleeping in. She could already hear most of their team snoring away the night, and silently shut the door to the room behind them.

The pair finally pulled their hands apart, removing their coats and stretching out their limbs. It gave them an opportunity to flex their fingers, and as Blake made her way to the bed, Yang put the coats away in a corner closet.

“Perfect night, don’t you think?” Closing the closet door, Yang turned back to the bed to see Blake already laying beneath the covers. She waited for a response, but was met with silence, and she approached the bed with a small frown.

As she drew closer, she crawled across the bed towards Blake, and as the other girl’s face came into view she could see that she was already fast asleep. Across her lips was the same smile she’d been wearing on and off the entire evening. With the frown turned to a soft smile, she gently slid herself under the covers beside the girl and wrapped an arm around her waist, careful not to wake her.

“Sweet dreams.” Yang sat up, leaning over to place a gentle peck on Blake’s cheek, the girl snuggling up closer to Yang, before she lay her own head down and fell fast asleep with a matching smile across her lips.


End file.
